Maura Tierney bounces back after fighting cancer

Mainly, though, she’s happy to have hair. After
being diagnosed with breast cancer last year, Tierney, 45, had surgery
and chemotherapy, dropping out of NBC’s “Parenthood” to do everything necessary to get well.

But as of this week, Tierney is back on television in ABC’s “The Whole Truth.” Lauren Graham replaced her in “Parenthood,” leaving Tierney free to take a role that was actually written for her.

Tom Donaghy created the character of Kathryn Peale, the no-nonsense lead prosecutor who matches wits with friend and adversary Jimmy Brogan (Rob Morrow),
with Tierney in mind. Donaghy and Tierney have known each other since
college, but she was committed to “Parenthood,” so he cast Joely Richardson.

Then real life intervened. While Tierney was finishing treatment and acting in a play in New York, Richardson asked to be released from “The Whole Truth.”

“Joely’s life was fairly complicated,” executive producer Jonathan Littman told TV critics when ABC introduced “The Whole Truth” in August. Richardson’s mother is actress Vanessa Redgrave, and three members of that family — Joely’s sister, Natasha Richardson; her uncle, Corin Redgrave; and her aunt, Lynn Redgrave — had died within 14 months of one another.

“It was the right thing to do, to let her go and
deal with that,” Littman said. “The timing worked out great, because
then Maura was available and able to do it.”

Tierney spent nine years on “ER,” leaving in 2008. Tough nurse Abby Cunningham, always determined not to look vulnerable, showed up a bit when Tierney was asked about her cancer.

“I’m good,” she said, adding, when pressed, “I’m healthy. … I read the script, and I liked it. So that was that.”

Tierney had chosen to return to theater, rather than
television, because she said she appreciated the precision and
structure that a play required.

“I wasn’t really thinking about doing another (TV)
show,” she said. “But I really responded to the character that Tom
wrote, I guess because (he) wrote it for me.”

Donaghy created the role in response to “a lot of
female characters on television that weren’t strong in the way that I
understand how women can be strong and also feminine,” he said.

“I knew Maura had the elegance, and we keep saying
this word ‘wit,’ so I wrote it with her talents in mind, never thinking
she would be available. So it’s quite a gift that she is.”

Added Tierney, “My ego’s not involved there at all.
But I thought she was a really, really appealing character … and
funny. And it was interesting to find a character that had such sort of
a great sense of humor, yet was so driven.”

Tierney has been quoted as saying she was
uncomfortable having to ask for help during her treatment, and she
clearly would rather get past questions about how she was changed by
the experience.

“I probably have a new perspective on everything, in general,” she said.

Still, “My perspective probably should change more
than it has, quite honestly. But as far as work goes … it’s a
priority for me now to be able to work with people who I really like
and trust.”

Of Donaghy, she said, “Tom and I are friends, like actual real friends, not Hollywood
friends. We went to college together. We’ve known each other for over
20 years. So that will be a factor because I feel like, yeah, it’s too
much time involved of your life to not enjoy it.”